Roll-forming machine



NOV. 1, 1938. R M, FRAME ROLL FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1955 8 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. M

I RNEYS Nov. 1, 1938. R. M. FRAME ROLL FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1955 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 R O m E V N vi l NANA/ Nov. 1, 1938. R. M. FRAME ROLL FORMING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 20, 1955 INVENTOR. 641% w ATTORNEYJ.

1938. R. M. FRAME ROLL FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1935 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

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Nov. 1, 1938. R. M. FRAME -ROLL FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1935 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. M 7/4 Jam ATT \EY-f.

\mw M \Q My NOV. 1, 1938. R ME 2,134,914

ROLL FORMING MACHINE Filed se t; 20, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet 6 I INVENTOR.

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w -L. N\\ a s Q A u A ax Nov. 1, 1938. R. M. FRAME ROLL FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1955 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 1m 'ENTOR.

W WK $4M ATTORNEYJ.

Nov. 1, 1938. R M FRA E 2,134,914

ROLL FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1955 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR.

ATT RNEYS.

Patented Nov. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES ROLL-FORMING MACHINE Robert M. Frame, Newark, N. J., assignor to The Clark Thread Company, Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 20, 1935, Serial No. 41,365

11 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel and improved form of roll-forming machine, the novel features of which will be best understood from the following description and the annexed drawings, in which I have shown a selected embodiment of the invention and in which:

Fig. l is an elevation of the front of the machine;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the rear of the machine appearing in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig, 3, parts being omitted for the sake of simplicity;

Figs. 5, 6, and '7 are views similar to Fig. l but showing the parts in different positions;

Fig. 8 is a section approximately on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a section approximately on the line 9--9 of Fig. 6

Fig. 9A is a view similar to Fig. 9, but on a smaller scale, and showing some of the parts in different positions;

Fig, 10 is a bottom plan view of the suction foot used with my invention;

Fig. 11'is a section approximately on the line H-ll of Fig. 7;

Fig 12 is a fragmentary section-approximately on. the line |2l2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 13 is a section approximately on the line |3-l3 of Fig. 12;

Fig, 14% is a View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 12 as viewed from. the opposite side thereof and with certain of the parts in different position;

Fig. 15 is a view approximately on the line I-l5 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a view, on the same plane as Fig. 14, showing a detail of that figure;

Fig. 17 is a view of a section on an enlarged scale, approximately on the line l'll'l of Fig. 12;

Fig. .18 is a cross section in diagrammatic form showing the finished roll.

The machine shown herein has been devised primarily for forming into rolls paper inserts for insertion in yarn balls, but is adapted for use wherever it is desired to form sheets of paper or the like into rolls for any other purpose. For the sake of convenience, I shall hereinafter refer to the sheets as being of paper, although the invention may be employed with other materials if desired.

The machine is shown as supported upon a frame comprising a base I supported upon legs 2. Mounted on the base is a magazine 3 adapted to contain sheets of paper, and I provide inter-- mittently operating means for feeding individual sheets one at a time from the magazine into position to be engaged by one of the roll-forming devices 4 upon a roller head 5. Before being fed from the magazine, each sheet has applied to it a small portion of glue so that, when formed into a roll, the glue will maintain the sheet in that shape. A chain conveyor 6 is adapted to remove rolls from the devices on the roller head and deliver them to any desired point.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7, I will describe the means for removing the sheets from the magazine and delivering them to the roll-forming devices. The sheets i are arranged in a stack on a table 8 having one end d thereof slightly raised as indicated, and the table is urged to the top of the magazine by any suit-- able yielding means, here exemplified as weights, one of which is shown at If), connected to chains I l running over pulleys 12, which chains are com nected to the table through a frame I3. This arrangement urges the top of the sheets 1 against a shoe 14. By this arrangement the top sheet will always be maintained in substantially a predetermined position with the right-hand end, as viewed in Figs. 1, 5, 6, and-7, slightly raised above the left-hand portion.

At the right-hand side thereof, the magazine is provided with a mouth l5 in the form of a funnel through which the sheets may be discharged to one of the roll-forming devices.

The sheets are fed from the magazine, accord ing to the present embodiment, by a suction means intermittently operating to engage a sheet and carry it through the mouth it. The suction means illustrated comprises a foot it which is vertically movable on an arm ll mounted on a pivot l8 slidably mounted in grooves l9 on the frame of the machine. This vertical movement is permitted by mounting the foot upon a pipe 2i] slidable in a block 2i rockable on the pivot it, and the pipe and consequently the foot is held normally in raised position by means of a spring 22 acting between the block and a collar 23 secured to the pipe and which may be adjusted along the pipe to vary the force of the spring. The pipe is guided in its vertical movement by a bracket 24 through a hole 25 in which the pipe passes and in which it may move to a limited extent transversely of its length.

Extending from opposite sides of the foot It are pins 26. These pins 26 run in cam grooves,

one of which is shown in each of Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. In order to prevent turning of the suction foot, a yoke 21 is provided sliding in a slot in a member 28 on the bottom of the arm l! and held in the slot by a pin 29.

The top of the magazine is open except under the shoe l4, and the movement of the suction foot is controlled by movement of the arm I! and by movement of the pipe on the arm. These movements in turn are controlled by mechanism now to be described. The pins l8 and 26 are in pairs, as indicated in Fig. 3, and each pin of a pair is controlled by means identical with that for operating the other pin of the same pair. Consequently, a description of the operation of one pin of each pair, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and '7, will suffice.

The arm I! is operated by a crank 30 rotatably mounted at 3|, and the movement of the pipe 20 on the arm is controlled by cams 32, 33, and. 34, the cam 32 being pivoted at 35.

The suction foot I6 is in the form of a ring, as shown in. Fig. 10, and inside of this ring is a chamber 36, at the top of which is a wall having a plurality of orifices 31 through which suction is applied to the chamber. Then when the foot is placed in contact with a sheet of paper and suction applied through the orifices, the paper will be sucked up against the foot. According to the selected embodiment, this suction is supplied by means of a pump 38 (Figs. 1 and 2) having an exhaust 39 and exhausting air from a vacuum tank 40 through a pipe 4|. The vacuum tank 40 is connected to the suction foot l6 by means of a pipe 42 having a valve 43 therein, and further by a flexible connection 44. Of course, it is to be understood that the orifices 3T communicate with the tank 40 through the pipe 20 and other connections described.

Suction is applied to a sheet of paper underneath the foot I6 at proper timed intervals by opening the valve 43. which may be done by means of a lever 45 (Fig. 5) pressing a valve stem 46 and connected by a link 4'! with an arm 48 pivoted on the frame of the machine and having a cam roller 49 engaging the edge of the crank cam 38 which is shaped to form a cam, as plainly indicated. The crank cam 30 may be operated from the motor- 50 through a Worm drive 5! rotating a shaft 52 connected by a chain 53 to a shaft 54 which drives the shaft 3| by means of a chain 55.

Mounted on the frame adjacent the crank cam is a glue reservoir 56 having rotatably mounted therein a roller 51 rotated by means of a belt 58 from the shaft 3|. Mounted on the arm I! is a glue applicator, the details of which are shown in Fig. 11, and which comprises a rod 59 having a dauber 60. The rod 59 is slidably mounted on an ear 6| on the arm l1, and has connected to it a cam follower 62 engaging a cam 63 and yieldingly held against the cam by means of a plunger normally urged downwardly by means of a spring 64 in a cylinder 65.

The operation of the structure so far described will now be given, particular reference being given to Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7.

Assuming first that the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4, it will be seen that the dauber is in engagement with the glue roll 51 and that the cam 32 is in its uppermost position in which it is normally held by a spring 32. The foot 16 is in engagement with the upper sheet 1, but no vacuum has been applied to the foot. The crank cam 30 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows, and when it has reached the position shown in Fig. 5, the pin 26 will have reached the left end of the cam 32. At this point, the spring 22 is compressed to its utmost, and as the pin 28 passes the end of the cam 32, the spring will cause it to rise abruptly to the approximate dotted line position shown in Fig. 5. Before this takes place, however, the valve 43 has been operated to place a suction on the foot [6, and as this foot rises to the dotted line position of Fig. 5, it will take the top sheet of paper with it. As the crank cam continues its rotation, it will increase and maintain the suction on the foot while the raised portion 39 of the cam engages the roller 49.

Next, as shown in Fig. 6, the pin 28 will pass along the upper surface of the cam 32, forcing it downwardly against the action of the spring 32, and the sheet 7 will be dragged along the apron l5 forming the bottom of the mouth i5. As the pin passes the right-hand end of the cam 32, the spring 32' will return this cam to the position indicated in Figs. 4 and 7, and by this time the roller 49 will have left the raised portion 33 of the crank cam. Similarly, the dauber 56 will he descended to a position where it will engage the next sheet I in the pile in the magazine and will apply a daub of glue thereto. As plainly shown in Fig. 7, the sheet I which has been handled by the foot 16 will be released, since the suction has been broken and the end of the sheet will have been projected through the mouth I5.

As a sheet is delivered from the mouth IE, it is received by one of the roll-forming devices 4, the details of which are best shown in Figs. 8, 9, 9A. 16, and 1'7. Each of these devices consists of a slotted sleeve 66 which is fixed in position on the head 5, this head being shown in the form of a disk rotatable with a shaft 61. Within each sleeve is mounted a spindle 68 rotatable on a bearing 68 having a slot 69 extending diametrically therethrough. The head is intermittently rotated to bring one of the devices at a time to a position wherein, as a sheet is fed out of the mouth I 5, it will pass through one of the slots in the sleeve 68 into the slot 69 of the spindle 68 in that sleeve.

The spindle is rotated by any suitable means, here exemplified by a friction drive consisting of a driven element 10 in the form of a disk integral with the spindle 88 and adapted to engage a friction driving element H. The element II is in the form of a roller mounted upon a lever 12 pivoted on the frame and having at its opposite end a cam roller 13 adapted to engage a cam 74 on a shaft 15, which may be driven from a shaft 54 by a chain drive 16.

By the above arrangement, the spindle will be rotated without rotation of the sleeve while the spindle is disposed at its station A at the mouth of the magazine. The head is rotated intermittently in the direction indicated by the arrows in the various figures.

It is essential that when a spindle is presented at the station A adjacent the mouth of the magazine, the slot 69 should be in line with that mouth so that a sheet of paper discharged from the mouth will enter the slot. For that purpose I provide two diametrically opposite pins 1'! slidably mounted in the spindle 68 and spring-urged towards the left of Figs. 8, 9, and 9A. One of these pins ordinarily will be received within a hole 78 in the head 5, and when in that hole the slot 59 will be in proper position. However, when the spindle is to be rotated to form (iii the roll, then the pin which is in the hole 18 should be released therefrom, and for that purpose I provide on the frame of the machine a cam 19 which is adapted to engage a pin slidably mounted in the hole 18 and which will act to eject the pin H which happens to be in that hole.

This condition is shown in Figs. 8 and 9, whereas in Fig. 9A is shown the relation of the parts when the spindle is held against movement by one of the pins Tl being received in the hole 18. Fig. 9A shows the parts shortly after the pin St! has passed the cam 19. At that time the spindle will still be rotating from the rotating action given it by the driving element H, and normally this will be enough to cause one pin "ii to come in line with the hole 18. To insure that this should happen, however, I provide a shoe 8| adapted to engage the driven element 10 on each one of the devices and cause it to rotate until one of the pins 1'! actually does enter the hole 18. Each spindle is thus automatically and positively returned to a position where the slot 69 registers with the slots in its sleeve 56 whereby the sheet of paper may be passed into the slot 69.

In order that the sheet of paper which is being inserted in the spindle slot shall not project beyond the sleeve for that spindle, I provide a stop 82 adapted to engage the end of the paper and act as a stop. It is of course to be understood that the paper will pass through the slot in the spindle and be properly placed before the cam it permits engagement of the elements Ill and H to rotate the spindle.

The head Eli is intermittently rotated by means of the belt 33 from the shaft it, which will tend to rotate the head continuously, and the head is periodically held against rotation by means of a detent 84, best shown in Fig. 2, and which is mounted on an arm 85 having a roller 86 adapted to engage a cam 31 likewise mounted on the shaft 15.

The detent 84 is adapted to engage a tooth 88, one of which is located on the head 5 adjacent each spindle.

By the above arrangement it will be seen that an intermittent motion is given to the head, bringing one roll-forming device after another to the station A adjacent the mouth it, and the cam ii! is so designed that, after a roll is formed by a device at that station, the head is released so that it will bring another device to that station.

After a roll is formed at the station adjacent the mouth l5, the spindle on which the roll is formed is held in fixed position by one of the pins ll, as was previously described, and upon rotation of the head 5 it will be brought to a station B, here shown as diametrically opposite the station A. In other words, the individual roll-forming devices are indexed by rotation of the head.

At the station E I provide means for stripping the roll from the spindle upon which it has been formed, and this means is best shown in Figs. 3, 12, 13, 14, and 15.

Disposed coaxially with a spindle 63 when at the station E, is a tubular conduit 89 forming part of a conveyor and into which the rolls are forced by means to be described presently.

Each roll 93, as it is stripped from the spindle, has the cylindrical form indicated in Fig. 18. The daub SI of glue indicated in Figs. 17 and 18 will hold the roll in this cylindrical form.

To strip a roll from a spindle, I provide an ejector comprising two oppositely disposed pins 92 slidably mounted on a carriage 93 and springpressed towards each other by springs 94. The carriage 93 reciprocates in guides 95 supported on the frame with the machine, and having guideways 96 receiving ears 9'! on the carriage. Reciprocation is caused by any suitable means, here shown as a crank disk 98 connected to the carriage by a link 99. The crank may be rotated by means of a belt I96 from the shaft Hill which in turn is driven by bevel gears from the shaft 54. The crank is held against rotation by means of a detent it? adapted to engage lugs I03 on the crank and operated at predetermined intervals by means of a cam Hi4 (Figs. 1 and 3).

The pins sition shown in Fig. 14, will be disposed behind the particular roll 99 which is on the spindle at station B. Normally, the pins 92 will be pressed outwardly by the cam action of a sleeve 63 approaching the station B, and then will enter the slots 66' in the sleeves 66 which are in alignment with the slot 59 in the spindle 68. Normally, the action of the springs 94 will be enough to force the pins 92 into the slots 58', but in order to insure proper registry of the parts, I make each slot 66 of the form best shown in Figs. 14, 15, and 16, wherein it will be seen that the bottom of the slot, which is the right-hand thereof, as viewed in Fig. 14, is made of bayonet form with a right angle extension fit" which will permit the left-hand pin 92, as viewed in Fig. 15, to enter the slot without being cammed outwardly by the passage of the sleeve 56. For the sake of convenience in manufacture, I make both slots lid of identical 1 construction, since, when one pin t2 has reached its proper place in the end or bottom of the slot tit, as shown in Figs. 14 and 15, for example,

.then the sleeve [it will be in position where the other pin 92 will automatically enter the other A into position behind the roll in that particular sleeve. Then the carriage will be operated by release of the crank 98 and move from the position shown in Fig. 14 to the approximate position shown in Fig. 12, carrying with it the roll the spindle and thus stripping that roll from the spindle. This movement carries the roll from the sleeve 55 into the conduit 89, this conduit having slots EH5 in line with the slots 66, to receive the pins 92. Then the carriage will reciprocate to the position shown in Fig. 14 where it will be held by engagement of the detent it? until time to strip a roll from another spindle.

In order to feed the rolls along the conduit 89, I provide conveying mechanism, exemplified by chain ii having dogs ltd thereon at spaced intervals and which are adapted to enter a slot E8? in the top of the conduit. These dogs are so spaced as to engage separate rolls and move them along the conduit. They may be discharged from the right-hand end of this conduit, as appears in Fig. 3, into any suitable receptacle, or, if desired, may be discharged on to another conveyor.

The chain 6 is actuated directly by movement of the carriage 93, as best shown in Figs.

12, 13, and 14. The chain is mounted on sprock ets Hi8 and Hit, and the sprocket N38 has thereon a plurality of pins lit, here shown as four in number and equally spaced around the cenwhen the carriage is in the poter of the sprocket. The carriage has pivoted thereon a pawl HI held against further counterclockwise movement, as viewed in Fig. 14, by means of a stop I [2. Then as the carriage moves towards the left in Fig. 14 or towards the right in Fig. 12, this pawl will engage one of the pins Ill) and will cause rotation of the sprocket [DB and thus will actuate the chain 6. On its return movement, to the left in Fig. 1.2 and to the right in Fig. 14, the pawl will engage the next one of the pins H0, but will ride past it without actuation of the sprocket, since the pawl is free to rotate in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 14. For example, if the pawl has actuated the sprocket by engagement with the pin H0, as viewed in Figs. 12 and 14, then on its return it will ride freely over the pin H0.

While I have shown the invention as embodied in a specific form, it is to be understood that various changes in details may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, a rollforming device comprising a rotatable spindle having a slot therein, means for feeding a sheet of paper into said slot, means for then rotating said spindle, a head upon which said spindle is mounted, means to move said head to carry said spindle to and from a station where said sheet may be fed thereto, a locking pin on said spindle adapted to enter a hole in said head to hold the spindle with the slot in position to receive said sheet, and means at said station to eject said pin from said hole and maintain it out of said hole while the spindle is at said station.

2. In a machine of the class described, a rollforming device comprising a rotatable spindle having a slot therein, means for feeding a sheet of paper into said slot, means for then rotating said spindle, a head upon which said spindle is mounted, means to move said head to carry said spindle to and from a station Where said sheet may be fed thereto, a locking pin on said spindle adapted to enter a hole in said head to hold the spindle with the slot in position to receive said sheet, an ejector pin slidable on said head and in said hole, and a cam adapted to engage said ejector pin to force and maintain said locking pin out of the hole when the spindle is at said station.

3. In a machine of the class described, a rollforming device comprising a rotatable spindle having a slot therein, means for feeding a sheet of paper into said slot, means for then rotating said spindle, a sleeve surrounding said spindle and having a slot registering with the spindle slot, said sleeve slot having an open end and having a lateral extension at the bottom thereof, an ejector pin adapted to be received in said slots when in registry, and means to move said device to cause said pin to enter said slots at said lateral extension.

4. In a machine of the class described, a head having a plurality of roll-forming devices thereon, each of said devices comprising a rotatable spindle having means adapted to engage a sheet, means to feed sheets of paper one at a time into position to be engaged by one of said devices, means to intermittently move said head to bring each of said devices to a receiving station to receive one of said sheets and then to a discharging station, means to rotate the spindle of said device when at said receiving station to form a roll thereon, a reciprocating carriage at said discharging station having means to engage said roll and strip it lengthwise from the spindle, means to actuate said carriage, a conveyor to receive said roll as it is stripped from the spindle, and means to operate the conveyor by movement of the carriage.

5. In a machine of the class described, a rollforming device comprising a rotatable spindle having a slot therein, means for feeding a sheet of paper into said slot, means for then rotating said spindle, a sleeve surrounding said spindle and having a slot adapted to register with the spindle slot, means to move said spindle to a station where said sheet may be fed thereto and then to a discharging station, a reciprocating carriage at said discharging station having a pin adapted to enter said slots at the back of the roll on the spindle, means to hold said spindle with said slots in registry while at said discharging station, and means to reciprocate said carriage to strip the roll from the spindle, said slots having open ends to permit said stripping.

6. In a machine of the class described, a rollforming device comprising a rotatable spindle having a slot therein, means for feeding a sheet of paper into said slot, means for then rotating said spindle, a sleeve surrounding said spindle and having a slot adapted to register with the spindle slot, means to move said spindle to a station where said sheet may be fed thereto and then to a discharging station, a reciprocating carriage at said discharging station having a pin adapted to enter said sleeve slot at the back of the roll on the spindle, and means to reciprocate said carriage to strip the roll from the spindle, said slots having open ends to permit said stripping, and said sleeve slot having a lateral extension at the bottom thereof to receive said pin as the sleeve approaches the discharging station.

'7. In a machine of the class described, a rollforming device comprising a rotatable spindle having a slot therein, means for feeding a sheet of paper into said slot, means for then rotating said spindle, a sleeve surrounding said spindle and having an open-ended slot adapted to register with the spindle slot, means to move said spindle to a station where said sheet may be fed thereto and then to a discharging station, a conduit in line with said sleeve at said discharging station and having an open-ended slot in line with the open-ended slot of the sleeve, a pin adapted to enter said sleeve at the back of the roll on the spindle, and means to move said pin in said alined slots to strip the roll from the spindle and force it into the conduit.

8. In a machine of the class described, a rollforming device comprising a rotatable spindle having a slot therein, means for feeding a sheet of paper into said slot, means for then rotating said spindle, a sleeve surrounding said spindle and having a slot adapted to register with the spindle slot, means to move said spindle to a station Where said sheet may be fed thereto and then to a discharging station, a reciprocating carriage at said discharging station having a pin adapted to enter said sleeve slot at the back of the roll on the spindle, means to reciprocate said carriage to strip the roll from the spindle, said slots having open ends to permit said stripping, a conveyor having a conduit in line With said sleeve at said discharging station, to receive the roll stripped from said spindle, means to move rolls along said conduit independently of each other, and means to operate said roll-moving means by movement of said carriage.

9. In a machine of the class described, a head having a plurality of roll-forming devices there on, each of said devices comprising a rotatable spindle having a slot therein and a sleeve surrounding said spindle and having a slot adapted to register with the spindle slot, means to feed sheets of paper one at a time into position to be engaged by one of said devices, means to intermittently move said head to bring one of said devices at a time to a station where it will receive one of said sheets from said feeding means, means normally holding said spindle against rotation in said sleeve and with said slots in registry, means to release said holding means at said station, means operating at said station to rotate said spindle within said sleeve, whereby a sheet of paper inserted through said registered slots will be rolled around the spindle inside the sleeve, a discharging station to which said spindle with the paper wound thereon is brought by said intermittent movement, a reciprocating carriage at said discharging station having a pin adapted to enter said slots at the back of the roll on the spindle, said holding means holding said spindle in position wherein said slots again will be in registry after the spindle leaves said first-named station, and means to reciprocate said carriage to strip the roll from the spindle.

10. In a machine of the class described, a rollforming device comprising a rotatable spindle having a slot therein, a sleeve surrounding said spindle and having a slot adapted to register with the spindle slot, means for feeding a sheet of paper into said spindle slot through said sleeve slot, means for moving said spindle to and from a station where said sheet may be fed thereto, means for rotating said spindle at said station, means for holding said spindle against rotation within the sleeve except at said station and with said slots in registry, and means to release said holding means while the spindle is at said station.

11. In a machine of the class described, a head having a plurality of roll-forming devices thereon, each of said devices comprising a rotatable spindle having means adapted to engage a sheet, means to feed sheets of paper one at a time into position to be engaged by one of said devices, means to intermittently move said head to bring each of said devices to a receiving station to receive one of said sheets and then to a discharging station, means to rotate the spindle of said device when at said receiving station to form a roll thereon, a reciprocating carriage at said discharging station having means to engage said roll and strip it lengthwise from the spindle, means to actuate said carriage, a conveyor to receive said roll as it is stripped from the spindle, and spaced members on said conveyor so placed thereon as to be engaged by said carriage upon its stripping movement, whereby said stripping movement of the carriage will operate the conveyor intermittently.

ROBERT M. FRAME. 

